The great Everton defensive dilemma solved

Marco Silva has a defensive dilemma to solve

He has three international – in-form – center-backs. But if he changes his system from the start, only two places to fill.

So is it the Keane and Zouma axis which looked so promising to the Frenchman was barred from facing his parent club on Sunday?

Is it Keane and Mina who played together for the first time on Sunday and became the first defense to prevent Chelsea from scoring on Stamford Bridge this season?

Should Mina and Zouma be given the opportunity to forge a new defensive platform, or even play all three in a wing-back system?

We asked our writers what they felt were the best way forward – and these were their conclusions.

David Prentice – Keane and Mina

Kevin Richardson was a very, very, very good midfield player

Goal Kevin Sheedy was exceptional

So while Richardson was good enough to win a title with Arsenal, captain Aston Villa to runners up in the Premier League, lead the same team to League Cup glory AND play for England, he co

Everton won a second place in the Everton midfield.

He scored two crucial match-winning goals at Southampton in March 1985 when Sheedy was injured – and was dropped for the very next match when Sheedy recovered.

Michael Keane is in Everton 's strongest XI because he' s hardly put a foot in this season ("hardly" because he managed to place two slide rule pbades

And Kurt Zouma has been excellent this season, but Yerry Mina made an impeccable start to his Everton career in the most testing environment imaginable. He was in a relationship with Michael Keane in the opposition of a couple of times (scooping one over the bar from six yards notwithstanding!)

Keane and Mina were part of a defense which became the first to blunt Chelsea's strikeforce at Stamford Bridge this season. And they would be my pick to carry on this season.

Sam Carroll – Mina and Zouma

Marco Silva is not the opposite, as he has recently admitted, to fielding a five-at-the-back training at Goodison Park, this term to accommodate his wealth of defensive options. [19659002] Yes, that's right.

With the sterling debut of Yerry Mina complimenting the great strides Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma have made a central partnership in Silva's back-line, Phil Jagielka and Mason Holgate look further from a starting role than ever

"Biggest call of Marco Silva's reign so far"

A Marco needs to make the biggest call of his reign.

Swapping to a five -man training would mean a more advanced tactical reshuffle, and this is the most incisive Everton have looked in spite of having a blank at Chelsea.

In short, the Blues can not afford to fix what is not broken.

There is no point wiping the slate clean now.

It's going to be tough, and I certainly would not want to tell any of Keane, Mina or Zouma they were sitting out, but the train Burnley man, despite some astonishing progress, would have to wait his turn behind the duet .

Zouma's future at the club is not clear at best, and on current evidence, Keane can still have a long and successful career at Goodison Park.

For now, though, Silva must go with the best partnership

Chris Beesley – Mina and Keane

What a welcome headache for Everton manage Marco Silva

In recent seasons – mostly last term – Blues bumps often had to try and find two players who were actually in it. And that's what I think Silva must do – there's no point in messing around the world

"To the gaffer to make a ruthless call"

Everton Sides have been very effective at training anyway. So, it's been done to make a ruthless call, something that he's already shown he is willing to do with dropped Jonjoe Kenny and Tom Davies as soon as Seamus Coleman and Andre Gomes became available.

Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma, who was born in the early 1900s, and who was able to compete in the first league.

Having enjoyed a promising start at Stamford Bridge I'd like to keep him and Keane for the Cardiff City game and leave on-loan I'm going to be in love with him.

Adam Jones – Mina and Keane

If it's not broken

Unfortunately in some respects, Marco Silva was forced to switch to his starting XI Chelsea and had to drop an in-form player in Kurt Zouma

Yerry Mina was thrown The first league starts at Stamford Bridge, and performed very well.

In particular it was very impressive to see how comfortable the trainer 90 minutes.

And so, Silva is now with a Dilemma.

Michael Keane (19659007) "Three at the back is out of the question"

19659008] However, with Mina coming in and keeping a clean sheet in his first match, that's got to be the partnership Silva sticks with.

There have been some questions about a potential change in shape to a three-at-the- back

That's out of the question

Sunday's match was only the third time this term the Blues have managed to keep their opponents from scoring

Zouma is also only on loan, so the priority should surely be to give Everton's permanent players the priority in situations such as these

] In any case, thi s is certainly a welcome dilemma for Silva to now – especially considering the injuries and suspensions the Blues have had to deal with